When we talk about the 1939-1940 New York World’s Fair, we usually focus on the displays from the auto manufacturers and the cars they exhibited there, but thanks to the New York Public Library’s Digital Gallery, today we’re going to take a look at the cars people drove to the fair in these photos of the fair’s parking field. What do you see here?

Wow, even by today’s standards that’s one big parking lot. Trying to name the cars is like trying to get a sip of water from a fire hose. The fist picture has a Chrysler airflow. Thes second has a couple of Willy’s (Willies?) and a Franklin. In the third what I think is a 34 Lincoln in the foreground. In the fourth I see a Cord. Fith, what looks like a nice 38 Chevrolet with side mounts.

In the first photo, a grey (?) 1937-38 Ford up front sure stands out amongst all the black and dark-colored cars. Lots of courteous parkers, so as to limit the door dings. Never seen a parking lot so regimented.

Makes me think of an old Ford I saw in a barn once when I was a kid, must have been a 36 or so…had a window decal for the 39 World’s Fair. The romantic notion of that old Fordor going up there and back, what the trip would have been like, what they saw, has stuck with me for 30 years now. I’m pretty sure the guy still has it!